What are ITSM, ITIL, and Ivanti?

Creating a successful and efficient IT service management (ITSM) model is key to any modern business.

ITSM began with the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), which provides best practice guidance and an extensive set of processes and policies for improving IT service delivery and customer satisfaction.

However, there have been many advances in ITSM since the emergence of ITIL. Ivanti is one of the leading ITSM solutions that has been popular not just in recent years, but for almost 3 decades. Bendata brought us HEAT (Helpdesk Expert Automation Tool) with it’s Call Logging application for DOS and then HEAT for Windows. Later on the company went through name changes from Bendata to HEAT Software, and finally Frontrange Solutions (FRS), plus there was a spin-off company, Cherwell, before finally both were acquired by Ivanti, bringing us Ivanti Neurons for ITSM (formerly Ivanti Service Manager).

Ivanti integrates multiple best-in-class tools into a single unified platform and allows organizations to customize the tools to meet their specific business needs. With Ivanti, organizations can reduce their total cost of ownership, simplify IT service management processes, and reduce manual effort. This platform also helps organizations better manage their IT assets and more efficiently manage their IT service delivery processes. Ivanti also provides a secure, compliant environment for storing sensitive data and provides built-in reporting tools to easily track IT performance goals.

In summary, Ivanti is an innovative ITSM solution that can help organizations to improve the quality of their IT services, reduce operational costs, and maximize operational efficiency. It is the perfect solution for organizations looking to optimized IT service delivery and ensure customer satisfaction.

Next time you’re considering an Ivanti Consultant or Developer, it’s helpful to remember the history as there are too many junior Ivanti Developers/Consultants/Project Managers that give themselves the title “senior” with only a few years experience and only a few implementations. Even 15+ year veterans are often junior. How do I know this? After 100+ Ivanti Implementations and consulting and developing for over 27+ years with Ivanti/Frontrange/HEAT around the world, I have encountered too many “senior” consultants/developers that just don’t measure up to what you’d expect. So if you’re serious about getting the most out of your Ivanti Implementations be sure to talk to me first.

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Seeking Ivanti (HEAT) Neurons API Developer

MUST HAVE SKILLS

• API Development Experience Ivanti Service Manager (Powered by HEAT) aka Ivanti Neurons for ITSM
• Attention to detail
• Self Starter
• Excellent Communication Skills

NICE TO HAVE SKILLS

• Configuration of Ivanti Service Manager and Ivanti Asset Manager as per Solution Design Specifications
• Good understanding of Incident Management, Configuration/Asset Management, CMDB, Business Rules, Workflows, Service Requests, Request Offerings
• API Development with AAD, DialPad

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What’s new in 2022.2 for Ivanti Neurons for ITSM/ITAM

• Low Code – No Code (Codeless Configuration)
  • Stored Expressions
  • User Specific Stored Values (Beta)
  • Variables (Beta)
• UI Enhancements
  • Flex Control: New URL
  • Attachment Viewer (for most file types)
  • Attachment Size Limits Global Constant
  • Request Offering List Control Enhancement:  Select All Option
  • System Level Global Constants Names/Data Types are now read-only
  • User friendly error messages for Service Requests

Ivanti Latest Solutions for Self Service

With the release of Ivanti Neurons for ITSM 2022.1 the Self Service Home Page now has more configuration options for the widgets.

The latest solution Ivanti clients are now re-evaluating the homepage configuration, including the two buttons for “Report an Incident” and “Request an Item”

Home Page buttons for Report an incident and Make a request

This may seem like a very simple solution but it is actually a huge improvement for end users and analysts. Differentiating between Incidents and Service Requests is simple for seasoned consultants however end users struggle with this concept (and so do some analysts). After all, to an end users (the customer), they just want to fill out a “ticket”.

That’s exactly what you can do now, with the latest solution by Ivanti to allow home page configuration.

You can now combine the two buttons into one button and call it “Service Catalog” for example.

That’s exactly what clients on the Ivanti Service Manager 2022.1 release in Australia, UK, and Europe have started doing. If you’re in Canada, the US, or South America, then you’ll need to wait until your scheduled upgrade. Check the latest Ivanti System notifications here.

Ivanti Clients are also choosing user-friendly Category/Subcategories such as “I have an issue with…” and “I need…” to differentiate between “Report an Incident” and “Request Offering” Templates.     Client culture dictates the exact wording that users can relate to and easily pick the correct template, whether Incident or Service Request.  

In addition to the above, the latest solutions for Self Service are improved load time, custom icons, improved widget controls.

ARE YOU leveraging the Latest Solutions for YOUR IVANTI IMPLEMENTATION?

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You are NOT. Not until you talk to me. Guaranteed!

What’s new in 2022.1?

Here are the highlights for the upcoming Ivanti Neurons for ITSM, aka Ivanti Service Manager (powered by HEAT) 2022.1 release scheduled for March/April.

See the Ivanti Maintenance Notifications for release dates, which vary based on your data centre location (Europe, Ireland, Australia, USA, Canada) for cloud, and check the Ivanti Support Site for On-Premise release dates.

2022.1 Release Highlights

• Modern User Experience for Analysts Updates
• Accessibility Enhancements for Analyst Interface
• Security Updates & Enhancements
• Service Catalog Load Time Improvement
• Knowledge Search Fix for searches with double quotes

What’s new in 2021.4

• Visual Warning for Opened Records
  • Global Constants
    • EnableRecordLocking
    • RecordLockingTimeout
      
• Ivanti Neurons for Ticket Classification
  • Machine Learning to analyze ticket subject / summary and recommend Service, Category, and Subcategory
    
• Improved Compatibility for Screen Readers 
  

• Improved Logging & Reporting for Data Access
  • Allow Administrator to enable auditing of “View” events
    
• Compatibility Update
  • Internet Explorer 11 Support Ending
  • Starting with the 2022.1 release, Ivanti will discontinue support for Internet Explorer (IE) 11 and non-chromium Edge browsers. 

See the detailed PDF here

Lessons Learnt from Dragons’ Den UK and Shark Tank Australia

I started watching Dragons’ Den in Canada and then the US version of Shark Tank. When I ran out of episodes to watch I tuned in to Dragons’ Den UK (The Original) as well as the Shark Tank Australia Spin Off. Another German Spin Off that I tend to watch is “Die Höhle der Löwen” (The Lions’ Den)

What does all this have to do with Ivanti, HEAT, and ITSM? More than you think!

When it comes to proper business analysis and requirements gathering, key is asking the right questions (eliciting requirements), focusing on the topic at hand (Scope), targeting the audience (Decision Maker, Subject Matter Experts), laying down the rules of the Den, and setting expectations. (Project Management).

All too often businesses struggle in the den, whether it’s their evaluation, skill set, lack of business planning, thinking too big (unrealistic expectations) or too small (lack of vision or saleability).

The same applies to Ivanti HEAT Neurons ITSM Implementations. All too often:

• Developers/Consultants lack implementation experience
• Developers lack consulting experience, and vice versa, Consultants lack development experience
• Implementation plans are cookie cutter, blue sky, or virtually non-existent
• Business requirements have more gaps than solutions
• Technical requirements are flawed
• Architecture and Solution Design are afterthought
• Best Practices are a foreign word
• Business Process Documentation is non-existent
• Training is old school and lacks a modern approach

In Summary, I highly recommend you watch a few episodes of Dragons’ Den UK, Canada, and Shark Tank US & Australia, and think about how you can apply the questioning and process of the format to your Ivanti HEAT Neurons Implementation. Better yet. Find yourself a Dragon 😉 and ask yourself…

ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR IVANTI HEAT ITSM IMPLEMENTATION?

You are NOT. Not until you talk to me. Guaranteed!

Lessons learnt from Dragons' Den UK and Shark Tank Australia – Independent ITSM Podcast covering Ivanti Service Manager ISM HEAT Latest Solutions & Best Practices

I started watching Dragons' Den in Canada and then the US version of Shark Tank.  When I ran out of episodes to watch I tuned in to Dragons' Den UK (The Original) as well as the Shark Tank Australia Spin Off.  Another German Spin Off that I tend to watch is "Die Höhle der Löwen" (The Lions' Den) What does all this have to do with Ivanti, HEAT, and ITSM?   More than you think! blog.a19consulting.com

Self Service Portal

One of the most under-utilized features of Ivanti Service Manager (HEAT Call Logging System) is the Self Service Portal.

Some organizations are hesitant to roll out Self Service, other companies simply don’t know where to start, and then there is the huge price tag from Ivanti Business Partners that lack consultative approach and are prone to utilize scope of work templates and cookie cutter ivanti implementation project plans that under-utilize Self Service.

What are the benefits of Self Service?

The self-service portal is more than the name implies. From experience and past Ivanti Implementations I can tell you that my customers have experienced a 50% drop of service desk calls and emails (shift left methodology), on average, with IT service desk resources freed up, and intangibles like increased customer satisfaction, plus well streamlined Service Request workflows.

Shift-Left Methodology is where it’s at. Enabling the customer to self-resolve incidents, request services, and monitor the progress of incidents and service requests. And that’s not all, HR Onboarding, Off Boarding, and Change Requests can be automated as well.

Self Service not only replaces online forms, intranet sites with pdf forms, and the underlying administrative burden, or worse yet, paper forms. but better yet, Self Services improves data capture and underlying workflows significantly, improving Service Delivery timeframes.

Beyond the typical Service Desk implementation of self service, there are advanced implementations for self-service kiosks and online booking & reservation systems.

One of my clients, the City of Brampton implemented self-service kiosks and an online booking system for their parking authority and had this to say:

“Gregor was able to implement what everyone else said couldn’t be done! A booking and reservation system for our parking authority. Now citizens of the City are able to reserve daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly parking passes. Gregor delivered what other consultants said was impossible.”

Shelley, City of Brampton, Municipal Services Manager

Where to start with Self Service?

First and foremost you want to do an intake of your top obstacles and challenges, see my Ivanti Implementation Poll for ideas, and then contact a seasoned consultant. Why? You are not getting the most out of your Ivanti Implementation until you talk to me. Guaranteed.

contact.a19consulting.com

Trust the Process

As you may have noticed, the last few Ivanti HEAT ITSM Blog posts had a common theme. UAT, Test Scripts, Pitfalls of UAT.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is without a doubt the most critical stage of the SDLC. This is where “the rubber hits the road”, and the customer and subject matter experts (SMEs) validate the business requirements.

This is also where typically some customers and SMEs tend to panic, get confused, worry, or simply get overwhelmed by the project at hand. Rightfully so, there is usually a lot at stake and the customer wants to make sure their business requirements are met, as does the consultant.

On one side, the customer and SMEs look up to the consultant for guidance drawn from years of experience, on the other hand, customers and SMEs also tend to think they know better.

So who is right?

Over 2 decades with HEAT Consulting, Business Analysis, and Project Management have taught me and reinforced, is that the customer isn’t always right and neither is the consultant. Looking at who is right is wrong! Instead of building a law case and looking to disprove one another, everyone needs to TRUST THE PROCESS.

If you have made it to UAT so far. Best Practice is to always review the steps taken (process) to-date.

• Scope of Work was Signed Off by Customer
• Business Requirements Elicited & Reviewed by Customer and Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• Prototype Reviewed & Signed Off by Customer
• System Testing performed by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Test Script Module implemented by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Test Script Examples provided by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Test Scripts created by Customer and SMEs
• UAT Test Scripts imported into UAT Module by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Kicked Off
• UAT Training Provided by Ivanti HEAT Consultant

…and the steps (milestones) ahead:

• UAT Testing by Customer
• UAT Test Scripts review by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Remediation (to address failed tests and gaps) by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Sign-Off
• Go-Live (Rollout) Prep by Customer/SMEs, and Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• Go-Live (Rollout) by Customer/SMEs, and lead by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• Go-Live (Rollout) Support by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• Post Go-Live (Rollout) Remediation by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• Minor Enhancements (if needed and within scope)
• Major Enhancements (if needed and within scope)

In Summary, using the analogy of purchasing a car, the buyer (customer) has done their research and made a list of must-haves, and nice-to-haves (business requirements), identified the car type, model, and budget (scope) with the help of the dealership (Ivanti HEAT Consultant), and now it’s time to take the car (system) for a road test (UAT). This is where “rubber hits the pavement”.

UAT. This is where some customers tend to experience a little anxiety and suddenly question their very own requirements and the very system they helped build, see Common UAT Pitfalls for more details, while other customers shine and jump into the drivers seat and master the road test (UAT).

Acquiring a new car (System/Major Functionality Changes/Upgrades) can be overwhelming for many reasons, covered in the Common UAT Pitfalls Ivanti HEAT ITSM Blog Post. But like anything else in life, you need to do a self check and trust the process.

You’ve made it this far, sure the new car can be overwhelming, but once you hop into the driver seat (take responsibility) and go on that road-test (UAT), familiarize yourself with the new vehicle, adjust the mirrors, seat, study the controls (learning curve) and see how the vehicle handles (learning curve), you soon start parallel parking, emergency breaking tests, city driving, highway driving, and so on.

The road-test (UAT) is the time to stop kicking tires and take action. Trust the process and go for that test-drive. The goal is to report back any issues (UAT Test Scripts), collaborate with the family, (UAT Meetings with UAT Lead to review UAT Test Script Results), and ask questions (UAT Test Script Module has comments for the consultant), and not only CONTINUE with the road test (UAT Test Scripts), but go on several road tests (many tests per UAT Test Script), and before you know it, you master the new car (system).

The last thing you want to do is stop the road-test every time you are unsure (learning curve), have a question (Learning Curve / UAT Meeting), or feel something is not right (UAT Test Script Result). You keep driving and report back your findings (UAT Test Script results) and collaborate with the family (UAT Team) to see if your findings are issues or just a learning curve (new controls, new way of doing things), or terminology (gas tank versus fuel tank), or it’s a major change, like driving on the right side of the road to the left side (major system upgrade), which requires more test drives. Or maybe you’ve never driven a car before and you are upgrading from a motorbike, bicycle, or walking on foot (legacy systems, Excel, Word, handwritten notes). Assumption is that you’ve taken your driving test and have a valid license of course (experience in the business, and have used Windows and web-apps before). Nowadays web applications are intuitive, as is learning to drive a different type of car (sports car, SUV, mini-van, luxury car). The days of long thick training manuals and days of classroom training are in the past although training videos can be provided as needed to fill any major training gaps. In other words, a learner’s license and some time with an experienced driver are just as efficient as a 2 week intensive course. At this stage of the implementation all SMEs are typically well versed with handling a car (Windows, Web Applications).

The learning curve will vary and you must TRUST THE PROCESS. You’ve made it this far, and should feel confident you have the support of the internal teams and external Ivanti HEAT Consultant, however ultimately you need to do the test-drive. The Ivanti HEAT Consultant has already done his. Now is the time to roll-up-your-sleeves-get-to-work-test-test-test with the goal of testing and providing concise precise results back to identify any gaps and more importantly, CELEBRATE THE WINS, mark test results as passed. So focus on the EASY TESTS FIRST, you know the parallel parking, driving in the parking lot, city driving on a slow day, before you go on a multi-lane highway or off-road in the Rocky Mountains on one of the toughest terrains.

You will get there, just keep testing, and know that the combination of your planning of must-haves (business requirements), intimate knowledge of your business processes, and the extensive experience and guidance by the Ivanti HEAT Consultant will get you there!

UAT Test Script Case Example

One of the biggest issues with writing UAT test cases, is knowing where to start and insisting on building your test script around the software. The fact is, you do not need access to Ivanti Service Manager (ISM, powered by HEAT IT Service Management) and it is actually encouraged not to use ISM at all when devising UAT Test Scripts.

Writing UAT Test Scripts for ISM HEAT is not unlike writing a letter to a long lost friend. At first you don’t know where to start, the first few words are tough to get out. But as you start writing, and you focus on the subject matter, the words turn into sentences, paragraphs, and pages.

Same goes for UAT Test Cases. Start simple, and remember, it’s about defining test cases for day-to-day job functions, not system testing of software, features, or functionality.

You should focus on:

• Test Script Case Subject | What are we validating?
• Test Script Case Details | Optional if you need to expand on the subject at hand
• Subject Matter Experts | Who is validating?
• Input Steps | What are the steps, think SOP, that testers need to take to carry out the test
• Input Data | Sample test data and supporting artifacts
• Expected Results | What is the expected output?

For example, if you were to write use cases for a kitchen, you would make a list of all the use cases (criteria if you will), such as Making Breakfast, Making Lunch, Coffee, Washing Dishes, etc. You don’t need to have a kitchen, and you don’t need to cook an omelette to document a use case for breakfast. All you need to do is visualize the steps, intended input, and expected results. High level, bullet form. Anything more becomes training documentation.

In this Use Case example, steps would be prepare ingredients, follow recipe, cook, season to taste, and eat. Input would be your ingredients, output is an omelette. The case steps may reference a combination of training materials (how to crack eggs, mix ingredients, recipe steps if you will) and standard operating procedures, aka SOPs (using the stove, properly food handling, storage, etc). Training materials and SOPs are important references, however separate from UAT Test Script Cases.

As you can see, UAT Test Cases should be simple, high level, and do not require ISM HEAT access, and shouldn’t be confused with Training Materials or SOPs. You should consult Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), the end users, to ensure you have covered all the possible scenarios. In this example, this would be the chef. In the real world this could be the Service Desk Manager, Service Desk Analyst Lead, Storage Techs for Asset Scanning and Storage Management, Procurement Lead for Accounting, Purchase Order related cases, and so on.

Last but not least, your focus should be on Test Case Scenarios, not features, functionality, or software. That’s System testing. We’re not testing the recipe or stove’s every button and dial. We are constructing high level use cases and scenarios, of day-to-day operations.

If you’re looking for sample ISM UAT Test Cases and Scripts from the a19 Consulting – Ivanti Best Practice System then be sure to contact us! We’ve been providing HEAT (now Ivanti Service Manager) Professional Services since 1996 and can help!